Noriaki Matsui (Nobu-san)

He won the Danish coffee roasting championship in 2018, placed 3rd in 2019, and 2nd in 2020. Since 2023, he has been supervising the roasting at TERRA COFFEE ROASTERS.

The local temperature was around 0℃ to -2℃, which was apparently a little warmer than usual for this time of year. The time difference with Japan is 8 hours. What I first felt upon arriving in Copenhagen was the clear winter air, something rarely experienced in Osaka. Each time the cold wind touched my cheeks and my breath turned white, I truly felt how far I had come. While a little hunched against the cold, my spirits naturally lifted as I thought about the roasters I would visit and the coffee scenes I would encounter there. From the moment I landed in an environment completely different from Japan, it felt as if my journey in Copenhagen had begun.

Upon arriving in Copenhagen and stepping out into the city, with its colorful apartments and brick buildings, the scenery and atmosphere were so utterly different from Japan that my excitement was boundless, making even the occasional cold gust of wind feel pleasant.

During my stay, what particularly impressed me was "BMO." The first bite surprised me with its simplicity.

Before eating it, I had thought, "It would be even better if it had ham...", but it had a powerful flavor, different from the cheese I eat in Japan, and the saltiness of the cheese and the aroma of the bread alone were satisfying enough. After trying this BMO, I became so captivated that I ate it every morning during my stay.

Guest Barista

This is Enghave Kaffe, located in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, where Nobu-san works.

Currently, Nobu-san serves as the manager at Enghave Kaffe in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, and I had the opportunity to serve TERRA's coffee alongside him.

We offered three types of coffee, both as batch brew and espresso. Standing at the same bar as Nobu-san and actually brewing coffee next to him brought a mix of緊張感 and exhilaration.

And, we had the opportunity for Japanese baristas on working holidays, as well as renowned figures in the industry, to taste TERRA COFFEE's offerings.

Among them, the Costa Rica SL28 WH was particularly popular, and I vividly remember the joy when many people specifically came up to us after finishing their drink to tell us it was "delicious."

DCF

The Denmark Coffee Festival, a coffee event similar to SCAJ held in Japan, also takes place in Denmark, and I had the chance to attend this time.

Although the overall size was smaller than in Japan due to fewer company booths, the Barista Championship and Brewers Championship were also held at the venue, making it very lively. Additionally, Oataly offered three types of drinks, including oat milk, for free, and to reduce paper cup waste, MK cups provided by MK studio were used for tasting cups.

Exhibitors came not only from Denmark but also from neighboring European countries such as Sweden and Germany, making it a spectacular coffee festival.

Coffee Collective

Denmark is known globally for its vibrant coffee culture, and this was one place I absolutely wanted to visit during my trip. Among them, Coffee Collective is widely recognized as a representative roaster of Denmark. This time, I had the chance to visit their roastery.

Deep within the facility, there was a production room lined with green bean warehouses, roasting machines, and sorting machines, alongside staff training rooms and inventory storage. The site was much more expansive than I had imagined.

Not only the coffee but also the bread served in the shop was delicious, making it a place where one could easily spend a long time. It's rare to see a roastery of this scale in Japan, and as a roaster, my heart was pounding with excitement the entire time.

Moreover, standing in a scene I had only seen through social media like Instagram felt strange. The time I spent savoring authentic coffee, feeling like I had stepped into a landscape I had always admired, was a truly special experience.

Koppi

This is Koppi, another roastery that is essential when talking about the Nordic coffee scene. Although it's usually a roastery and office not open to the public, a friend had a prior connection, so we were given a special tour this time.

Ann, who serves as a judge in national and European competitions and is in charge of QC at Koppi, Charles, who handles the roasting, and Björn, who manages shipping and back-office tasks. All the staff were incredibly friendly and warmly welcomed us. Björn showed us around the roastery, Ann brewed us many cups of coffee, and Charles amiably answered all our questions.

Personally, I never thought the day would come when I would visit Koppi, a brand I had loved for a long time and continuously bought and drank from their online shop.

The coffee Ann brewed for us remains the most memorable cup from our entire stay. And I still vividly recall the deep conversation Charles and I had about our philosophies on coffee sourcing, and how strongly we resonated with each other.

Sharing time with everyone working at a place I had always admired was truly a dream come true.